Understand "Customer Needs"

Social marketing aims to "reach" one or a number of target groups in order to initiate and effect changes in their ideas and behavior. The starting point of social marketing, therefore, is getting to know the target audience thoroughly through market research: its social and demographic makeup (economic status, education, age structure, and so on), its psychosocial features (attitudes, motivations, values, behavioral patterns), and its needs.

Any campaign must take these factors into consideration and also be compatible with the cultural and religious traditions of the target group or groups. Market research is crucial not only in the planning phase of the program but also during its implementation, as social marketers have to be aware of and responsive to the target groups' changing needs.

Distribution channels: Making the "product" available

Mass media are undoubtedly the most important "vehicles" for creating awareness of social products as well as for distributing nontangible products. But their effectiveness varies greatly. In urban areas, depending on the target group, television, cinema, and radio (with due attention to the right broadcasting time) as well as magazines, newspapers, posters, and other print media can be effective. In rural areas, often only radio plus traditional "media" such as folk theater, puppet shows, and song and dance performances are appropriate.

As a rule, the communication channels selected should be ones the target audience comes into contact with on a regular basis as well as perceives as being credible, since familiarity with a medium and with the performers makes it easier to get the message accepted. Projects that use media with entertainment value (movies, soap operas, radio plays, music, theatre, comics, and so on) are particularly successful. Members of the target group can identify with the heroine or hero or a well-known idol, and this has a motivating effect in the desired direction of change.

Since the impact of mass media is only fleeting, however, the message has to be periodically repeated to make it stick. After a while, though, posters or spots become monotonous, and the target groups may no longer even notice the message. It is therefore essential to change the "advertising" campaign from time to time.

Notwithstanding the great importance and obvious success of mass media in social marketing, interpersonal contacts and the services associated with them remain indispensable. Mass media can arouse interest, but personal consultation, motivation by promoters, or a doctor's concern make all the difference between merely knowing about something, having a positive attitude toward it, and actually adopting the new behavior. Personal communication reinforces every other channel, and it takes on primary importance wherever modern mass media fail to penetrate or are underused.

It is essential that the target groups should feel they are being personally addressed and taken seriously, with due respect to their human dignity and their private sphere. Hence great importance is attached to the selection of promoters, multipliers, and advisors (with regard to personality, ability to empathize, social esteem, age and sex, and so on) as well as to their training. As in the commercial world, in social marketing too the "the customer is king."

The way information is imparted must correspond to a target group's special needs and preferences as well as to the "product." Informal and interpersonal counselling and the provision of information in clear, uncomplicated language may be indicated for selected target groups such as patients. Professional audiences, on the other hand, may require formal presentations, seminars, workshops, courses, technical literature, or regular consultation services through specialists.

Tangible products (such as condoms for family planning), which may form part of a social marketing campaign, can be provided through various channels: house-to-house or a local distribution center, by post, direct sale, and so on. They can be given for a fee or free of charge. The decision on the marketing channels to be selected-how many, what kind, and where-depends on many factors such as nature of the product, costs, the size and location of the target population, and its consumption habits.

The product itself and the commitment of the distributing agents to promoting it and advising about its use play an important role. Drugs, for example, must be dispensed responsibly by medical personnel. In the end, the credibility and success of a campaign depends largely on the regular availability of the products and uncomplicated access to them.

In our leprosy campaign, for example, all available media were used in the advertising portion, with particular emphasis on radio and television. This was complemented by personal communications through school teachers, women's organizations, and other groups. We also improved access to treatment by doubling the number of treatment centers as well as improving the collaboration with the general health care services.

Pricing

Prices fulfill various marketing functions. For one thing, they regulate the target groups' access to products. Particularly in poor countries, higher prices impede access whereas lower prices facilitate it. For another, price serves to position a product, as it is frequently viewed as an indicator of quality and attendant prestige value. High price is often equated with high quality.

When fixing the price of a tangible socialproduct, the objective of the campaign must be kept in mind:

• If the aim is to get the maximum number of target groups to accept a social product, products and services can be offered at low prices or gratis. This could, however, create the perception of low quality.
  
  
• If a campaign aims at achieving equitable distribution, a flexible price structure is indicated, with higher-income groups paying more and low-income groups less.
  
  
• If cost recovery has priority, the price is fixed in such a way that it will defray at least a suitable part of the costs.
  
  
• If profit maximization is the aim, then various price levels must be examined with a view to how they will affect demand.
  
  
• If the aim is reducing excessive or undesirable demand (for example, for alcohol or cigarettes), then high prices are indicated.

As our social marketing campaign for leprosy aims to reach and cure everyone afflicted with the disease, all patients receive free treatment and medication.

Opportunity Costs - the cost of adoption

The total cost of adopting a social idea or practice often goes beyond the monetary price alone, as further cost-related factors are typically involved: the time lost or spent (in travelling and waiting, for example, and the outlay this entails) together with perceived barriers to adoption-be they psychological, social, or physical. Reducing such costs and creating incentives to adopt and maintain the new idea or practice over time is thus another central task of social marketing.

Reducing travel costs and time involved is a matter of managing the distribution network. The more outlets and the better their locations, the less the travel and waiting time. Under certain circumstances, reimbursement of travel costs and compensation for lost pay, as is often necessary with leprosy patients, should be considered.

A further obstacle to achieving social goals has to do with the nature of the product. Let us take, for example, the product "patient compliance." It depends not only on the quality of medical services and the successful motivation of target groups, but also on the presentation of the drug-its formula-tion (tablets, drops, syrup, or transdermal patch) and its packaging (for example, calendar blister-packs).

In the case of the social marketing campaign for leprosy, the MDT calendar pack satisfies several demands that must be met to gain and keep patient compliance. Optically attractive, it improves the "image" of the illness and signals the high quality of the treatment. It also makes it easier to dispense the drugs by doing away with having to count the tablets. And it protects the contents from heat and humidity.

For example, as indicated in this Risk Fund project, in some societies it goes against the grain for men to put on protective clothing when applying plant protection agents, as the attitude is that "only weaklings wear it." New ideas and practices can also give rise to fears that traditional values may be lost-for instance, family planning versus fertility as a highly prized social goal.

Social bias and censure can, as they do with leprosy, discourage people from undergoing a diagnosis, as do plain dread of finding out about oneself and resistance to the unpleasant truth that a person has AIDS or cancer or is an alcoholic.

Fear of side effects, complications, or other perceived negative results can likewise impede adoption of a new practice. Whether fears of this kind can be dispelled and people can be persuaded of the advantages they may expect depends on the clarity of the message, its sensitivity to the target group's concerns and cultural considerations, and its plausibility.

Moreover, the selection of appropriate channels of communication, adequate exposure to the message, the ability of the products and services to meet the expectations created, as well the continuity of the entire social marketing package are all crucial to the success of the campaign.